From February through May 2021, 8 pet care startups from 5 different countries joined the Leap Venture Studio to enhance their business plans, prepare for fundraising milestones, and establish minimum viable brands. Learn more about each startup and their leaders through our blog series on Cohort 4. We asked each founder questions about their startup journey, who inspires them, and of course a little bit about their pets!

Oliver Pets (Mexico City, Mexico & Buenos Aires, Argentina): Oliver Pets is the all-in-one service platform that makes pet parenting more simple and fun. The platform utilizes AI to tailor the individual experience of each pet parent based on their pet profiles and data.

María Nougués, Co-Founder:

What inspired you to build your pet care startup?

María: Sometimes I had to go to 3 or 4 pet shops to find my dog’s food. And we’re talking about one of Royal Canin’s best-selling foods.This was inconvenient and a big problem for me, especially when I ran out of food.

Tell us about any pets you have! How did your relationship with your pet inspire your business?

María: My first dog, Cacho, was everything to me. He introduced me to the loving world of pets and that they are actually a family member. My second dog, Marcelita, who passed away two months ago at the age of 13, made me understand the complexity of needing multiple services and platforms for her care, without getting anyone to give me the comprehensive service and support I needed for an elderly dog.

Now a few weeks into the Leap Venture Studio, what has been the most beneficial part of the accelerator program?

María: First of all, the amazing work that the R/GA team did with the reinvention of our logo, brand image, and our value proposition. Second of all, the opportunity to meet and connect with a team of incredible people from the organizers to the mentors and participants. We live a unique and transforming experience that will serve us forever.

What has been an unexpected upside of the pandemic?

María: The pandemic represented a unique opportunity to grow our business and our sales. Although we had been growing on a monthly basis, the lockdown accelerated this trend and we ended the year 120% higher than 2019. We were in one of the most privileged categories.

What are your goals for this year?

María: During 2020, we managed to be the #1 platform in Argentina in terms of sales. During 2021, we will consolidate in the Mexican market, expecting to end the year also being the preferred option of the local pet parents.

What is the best movie, podcast, or book you’ve discovered in the past year?

María: The podcast Masters of Scale, by Reid Hoffman. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s starting this journey. It’s not only inspiring, but also practical and it gets right to the point.

Join us on Thursday, May 6th at 10am PT for the Leap Venture Studio Demo Day to celebrate these incredible founders that are forging new trails in the $100 billion pet care industry! The event will be streamed through YouTube Live (link coming soon). Each company will present a pitch deck on their company and answer questions in the live chat.